Valhorna Chocolate Lava Cake

I've been passing by Sun Lik Trading a couple of times, pondering whether to part with $41.50 for a slab of chocolate. It's no ordinary slab of chocolate mind you, it's Valhorna Chocolate: high grade luxury chocolate, used by top chefs around the world. It was a tough call but I ended up spending that $41.50 anyway lol; nothing can come between me and chocolate.

I immediately knew what I wanted to make using those chocolates; it has to be something simple in order to let the chocolate speak for itself. It was either chocolate tart or molten chocolate lava; I decided on the latter as it seemed less time consuming. Using the recipe from Gordon Ramsy (have been really into his shows lately), I made a batch of 5 (on hindsight I should have stuck with 4).

Gordon Ramsay’s Hot Chocolate Fondant

Serves 4

• 8 tablespoons (100 g) unsalted butter, plus extra to grease
• 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa, to dust
• 4 ounces (100 g) good-quality bittersweet chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), in pieces
• 2 large eggs
• 2 large egg yolks
• 100 g superfine granulated sugar
• 100 g all-purpose flour

1. Heat oven to 325° F/160° C.  Grease 4 large ramekins with butter, about 3 inches (7.5 cm) in diameter.  Cut a small, square piece of parchment and place in the bottom of the ramekin and grease with butter, then dust liberally with cocoa.
2. In a small bowl set over a saucepan of hot water, slowly melt the chocolate and butter.  Remove bowl from heat and stir until smooth.  Let cool for 10 minutes.
3. Using an electric whisk, whisk the whole eggs, egg yolks, and sugar together until pale and thick. Add the cooled chocolate mixture and whisk just to combine.
4. Sift the flour over the mixture and using a large metal spoon gently fold in.
5. Divide the batter between the ramekins and bake for 12 minutes.
6. Turn the chocolate fondants out onto warmed plates and serve immediately.

*See below for baking notes

Work Process

If you've made Molten Chocolate Lava Cake, you'll know that baking time is crucial crucial. Anxious about having that gooey lava centre, I took my 1st cake out within 10 minutes in the oven. It was gooey alright but it sure did not look pretty. The base was still not cooked and it stucked to the ramekin, resulting in a gooey lump rather than a nicely shaped fondant.

1st Attempt

Subsequent ones were bad too and I only managed to obtain a picture perfect one after 14 minutes of baking (Do note that I refrigerated my batter).

The Best for Last

* I asked Malcolm my classmate from BITC who is in the hotel F&B trade, he told me that it is crucial to dust the ramekins with either sugar or cocoa powder -Mistake no.1 

He also mentioned that 160 degrees C is too low and usually its either 180 or 200 degrees C. -Mistake no. 2

I also found my cake kinda ugly looking and I think it would have been prettier if I hadn't try to fill up 5 ramekins- Mistake no. 3

As for the Valhorna Chocolate, it didn't really live up to my expectations. I kinda sneaked a bite or 2 and the chocolate pieces didn't quite have that floral and nutty taste they proclaimed. It sure tasted good but it wasn't like mind-bIasting-ly good. Honestly, I wasn't really able to differentiate it from a Cadbury Old Gold chocolate. Before all you chocolatiers start berating me you should know that it might just be my noobness and my "over the sky" expectations talking. Shall try this again, this time with Cocoa powder and 200 Degrees C :)